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Progress for School Choice in New Jersey

Last night, school choice was the topic of discussion at a Delaware Valley High School Board of Education meeting in New Jersey. On the agenda was the possibility of accepting students in the the state’s school choice program. If Delaware Valley does accept state-funded choice students, they would be the third high school in the county to do so.

They have until April to apply to be named a school choice district, although they are hoping to decide by December. After an application is filed, the state would determine whether or not to name Delaware Valley a school choice district. The state would then pay the tuition for these students, the number of which, and in which grade levels, would be determined by the school. Upon approval, out-of-district students would be able to apply to attend starting in the 2014-15 school year. In the event that there are more applications than spaces, a lottery would be held.

South Hunterdon Regional High School was the first high school in the county to take choice students. They received approval in May 2011 to accept 18 students in grades 8-11 and they are currently taking applications for students to begin next school year.

No decisions were made last night, but the dialogue is an important step forward for educational reform.

After successfully executing the parent trigger option at Desert Trails Elementary school in Adelanto, California, and the protracted legal battle which followed, parents have selected a charter school to take over the failing public school.

Earlier this week, Pennsylvania state senate to approve reforms for Pennsylvania charter schools. These reforms included educational and financial accountability reforms, but removed language from the bill which would add additional powers to the state board which oversees charter schools. The bill also fails to deal with the funding formula for charter schools. However, it is still a great step forward for school choice.

In the Adelanto Elementary School District, a school choice battle is underway. Although parents successfully executed the parent trigger option to transforming failing Desert Trails Elementary School into a charter school. The school board took this decision to court, and a judge upheld the rights of the parents. The school board, however, refused to comply.

In April of this year, Louisiana lawmakers passed two education bills which included enormous progress for school choice in that state. These bills established the largest voucher program in the country, curtailed teacher tenure, expanded charter schools, and tied educator pay and job security to student performance, allowing over 400,000 children new choice in education.

During the debate on Wednesday night, President Barack Obama and GOP nominee Mitt Romney were asked the question “Does the Federal Government have a responsibility to improve the quality of public education in America?” The candidates, as expected, had very different answers.

We hear the term “school choice” quite a lot and, with Hollywood shining a spotlight on the issue with new film Won't Back Down, we are bound to hear even more in the coming weeks. However, "school choice" is a blanket term that can mean a variety of different things. In my last piece, we looked at charter schools, open enrollment, and school vouchers and how they are helping children succeed.

There has been a lot in the news lately about school choice, but those words, "school choice" can mean many different things. Let’s take a look at some of the different forms school choice can take, and how they have worked for American children.

In the last legislative session, Maine Governor Paul LePage pushed education reform changes to help kids in his state. His agenda included tougher teacher and principal evaluations, and the switch to a proficiency-based high school diploma. The legislature did not, however, pass school choice legislation. Yesterday, a school choice work group in Maine met for the first time to determine if and how school choice will be implemented in Maine.

FreedomWorks is proud to report that the 2012 GOP Platform, as approved at the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, incorporates almost all key elements of the FreedomWorks “Freedom Platform”. Most notably, the 2012 GOP Platform calls for both an Audit of the Federal Reserve and the full repeal of Obamacare, two of the cornerstones of the Freedom Platform. Striking similarities between the two platforms are an encouraging reminder of the ground that the freedom movement is gaining within the establishment Republican Party.